Though Chinese cabbages, like bok choy and Napa, have become more widely available here, I still prefer this dish with ordinary green cabbage; its crunch is unsurpassed. Serve this with Basic Long-Grain Rice or Fried Rice (page 506).

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 tablespoons fermented black beans (page 207)

　　2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, dry sherry, or white wine

　　3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

　　1 pound green or other cabbage, cored and roughly chopped (not finely shredded)

　　1 tablespoon chopped garlic

　　1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

　　4 or 5 small dried chiles

　　1 1/2 pounds shrimp, roughly 30 to 40, peeled

　　2 tablespoons soy sauce

　　Salt to taste

　　1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

　　1/4 cup minced scallion, green part only, for garnish

　　

Step 1

Soak the black beans in the wine. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide skillet, preferably nonstick, and turn the heat to high. A minute later, add the cabbage and cook, stirring occasionally, until glossy and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon.

　　

Step 2

Still over high heat, add the remaining oil, along with the garlic, ginger, and chiles; cook, stirring once or twice, for 15 to 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Turn the heat to medium.

　　

Step 3

Return the cabbage to the skillet, along with the black beans and their liquid and the soy sauce. Cook, stirring, for about a minute. Taste and salt. Drizzle with the sesame oil, garnish with the scallion, and serve.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.